


Kitsunari

by spyfodder



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Fluff, Kitsune, M/M, aborted smooches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:39:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spyfodder/pseuds/spyfodder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitsunari has a secret, and Ieyasu is digging too deep into his heart. Yoshitsugu starts to feel too old for these shenanigans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kitsunari

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in an ambiguous modern day setting in an even more indistinct locale.  
> I originally thought this was going to be a bigger production, but it wanted to be short and sweet.  
> Basically Gyobu's taken care of Mitsunari since he was a wee bab, and trying to live in a human world and act normal is still a Hard Thing for him.

Ever since Mitsunari had offered the invitation to visit, Ieyasu had waffled on the option and had spent far too many nights thinking about the fair day he had spent with the reclusive young man. 

He supposed that was part of the reason why he was standing on Mitsunari's door step, pressing the doorbell as gingerly as he could, hoping no one would answer. As personable as Ieyasu was, he was still nervous as hell about the prospect of asking Ishida out for the day. 

There was a long pause, Ieyasu leaning back in preparation to leave, but the unlocking of the quaint house's front door stopped him. He swallowed hard, expecting Mitsunari, but was surprised when the door opened, revealing someone he had not seen before. 

He was pale and had his hands wrapped in bandages, a warm haori wrapped around his shoulders. Dark, scraggly hair framed a face that was hidden with a loose, white veil from the nose down. The man looked at Ieyasu placidly, expectantly, before lifting a brow in question at the man on his door step.

"Excuse my interruption!" Ieyasu blurted, bowing respectfully. Maybe the man was Mitsunari's brother? "I was wondering if Mitsunari was available to come out today!"

"Such dramatics," the man said, waving his hand before opening the door wider. "Come in."

Ieyasu sighed in relief as the man turned and disappeared into the house. He entered and closed the door behind himself, but hovered near the entry way, ears straining to hear the man as he called for Mitsunari.

 

Yoshitsugu nearly ran into Mitsunari as he rounded into the main hallway of the house, the taller man silent, obviously having been listening in to their visitor.

"There is a man here to see you, Mitsunari," Yoshitsugu said, crossing his arms calmly as he looked up at the silver-haired man, whose eyes darted off to the side. "He wants you to come out with him."

"He is the one I was telling you about," Mitsunari said, referring to the discussion he and his keeper had when he had returned home a week ago. He had told Yoshitsugu of Ieyasu's kindness, and strange affection that had made the man feel differently. Mitsunari flattened his fox ears against his head before pushing past his retainer, peeking around the edge of the corner, despite Yoshitsugu's quiet cry of disapproval. 

"Oh, Mitsunari! I was hoping you were in today," Ieyasu said with a smile when he spotted the man, who was hiding around the corner, showing just enough of his face to where his eyes and mouth showed. "I kept thinking about your invitation... and so I came over. It's a nice enough day, so spending it inside would be a waste, don't you think?" 

"Ah, yes, it would," Mitsunari murmured, looking at Ieyasu for a moment, feeling an unwanted heat creep up into his neck and ears, before looking down. "Give me a moment."

Ieyasu was beginning to wonder about Mitsunari's household when the silver-haired man disappeared once more around the corner. Not that they were not welcoming, but the habits were strange. Ieyasu shrugged and grinned to himself as he waited patiently. Enduring strange situations, if it meant to spend a day with Mitsunari, would be worth it. 

 

"Please, Gyobu, let me go out," Mitsunari pleaded softly to his mentor. "He is different from the others. He will not hurt me," the kitsune said, looking at Yoshitsugu imploringly. The bandaged man sighed and rubbed at his sinus a moment before shaking his head. 

"I cannot control you, Mitsunari," Yoshitsugu said before pulling a pendant strung on a leather thong from around his neck and sliding it over his friend's head. Once it was in place, the appearance of the other man's fox ears and tail disappeared completely, hidden away by the sorceror's magic. He pulled Mitsunari's head down, straightening his hair, then hugging his shoulders gently with a sigh. "I often forget how quickly you grew up, baby fox."

"I will always be with you, Gyobu," Mitsunari said, hiding his small smile in the other man's shoulder as he hugged his keeper. Once let go, he turned around and whipped around the corner, filled with sudden excitement at being with his new human friend.

 

"Is everything alright?" Ieyasu asked once they were outside (Mitsunari having practically tackling him out of the door,) and walking down the lane towards the main part of town. 

"Yes. I apologize. Yoshitsugu sometimes gets worried about me making new friends... since we move a lot," Mitsunari said with a slight shrug.

"Oh. Then that should be the perfect reason to make friends. The more friends you make, the more bonds you have wherever you have been!" Ieyasu said brightly, smiling as he looked to the sky. "Is he your brother?"

"Something like that," Mitsunari said, smiling in amusement. "He's very protective."

"Well, I'm protecting you today, and we're going to go to this great noodle house I found. I think you'll like it," Ieyasu said, crooking his elbow with his friend's, who nodded and hid the grin on his face as Ieyasu continued talking about his week.

 

It was several hours later that the two found themselves sitting on a bridge that overlooked a small river that ran through the city. The sun was setting, the bustle of life having calmed down substantially, leaving the two young men to bask in each others' presence. 

Ieyasu had been thinking about the risks of doing something that might scare Mitsunari off. He gazed at the mysterious man who sat beside him, who was busily flicking pebbles into the river, wondering why he could not get Mitsunari out of his head, nor the want to take things further. He glanced down at the hand Mitsunari was leaning on beside him, and acted, reaching out and putting his own over pale, slender fingers. 

Mitsunari stopped mid-throw, dropping all the pebbles he had been holding in his hand, and looked at Ieyasu, then the hand over his, with wide eyes. He had been startled, and the unwanted warmth came back, spreading up his throat to his face. He had only seen humans do this sort of thing, and was finding out how it felt when it happened. He leveled a concerned, confused look at Ieyasu, who was grinning helplessly.

"Uh... I was wondering if I could see you more often, Mitsunari. I really enjoyed today and... I want to see you smile more often. It's cute," Ieyasu laughed nervously, kicking his feet where they hung over the rail of the bridge and looking down at the water. "I want to know more about you."

Mitsunari stared at Ieyasu in disbelief, unsure of what to do. He wanted to see and know him more? He thought his smile was cute? He had been called cute, once, when he was younger, by Gyobu, but never by a human. Especially by a human who was bright and cheerful and always looked for the good in everything, even in Mitsunari, who could not begin to think of something nice about himself. He leaned toward Ieyasu awkwardly, placing his free hand over Ieyasu's between them, wanting to say something but unable to. 

"I mean, I should have asked... if that sort of thing was okay..." Ieyasu trailed off, looking up to find Mitsunari right in his face. Oh, god, Ieyasu thought, Mitsunari's eyes were even prettier being this close. The other man obviously had no problem with "that sort of thing," considering how invasive of personal space he was being, and how expectant he was looking. 

"It's more than okay," Mitsunari said, wondering if this was where humans kissed and proclaimed their love like in the movies. He would not have minded if that happened - Ieyasu was probably about the only person in the world he could imagine himself doing that sort of thing with. Mitsunari leaned his face into the hand Ieyasu pressed to his cheek, closing his eyes in anticipation. 

Ieyasu thought his heart was going to beat itself out of his chest when Mitsunari leaned in closer, and he laughed on a breath before leaning in as well. Better make it a good one, he thought. 

Mitsunari tasted Ieyasu's breath, right when he felt the burning itch at the base of his spine and at the crown of his head, signing imminent magic failure.

"I'm sorry, I must leave!"

Ieyasu was more surprised at Mitsunari's shouting than him pulling away. He looked up as the other man slung himself back over onto the ground, giving Ieyasu a worrisome look before running away. He was gone before Ieyasu managed to get any words past his lips, disappearing around the block and into the nest of houses down the road. Heart sinking, Ieyasu sighed and looked down at the river below him, the momentary consideration of jumping off the bridge and into it passing his mind.

 

Yoshitsugu was more concerned about the tears that tracked down Mitsunari's face than the fact that his ears and tail were showing when the young man entered his study. He did not even have to beckon his friend over, Mitsunari going over to him automatically and sinking down into his arms. Yoshitsugu hushed him, stroking his hair tenderly. He was not so quick to jump to conclusions, despite the one that wanted to hunt down Ieyasu and throw him off a cliff for making his boy cry rose up first. 

"He wants to see me more," Mitsunari said, sitting back and wiping at his eyes. He pulled the pendant that had disguised his true nature, handing it back to the sorceror, sighing at it's untimely demise. 

"So are you crying out of despair or happiness, kit?" Yoshitsugu asked, snorting on a laugh as he stroked Mitsunari's cheek, who nuzzled the familiar hand. The young man smiled, genuinely, something so rare that it threw Yoshitsugu for a moment. 

"Both, I think, because I'm so happy about it, and kind of pissed off about that pendant," Mitsunari said, choking on a weak laugh. 

"I will see if I can't do something about that," Yoshitsugu said with a smirk, letting Mitsunari lean against him, the unusual feeling of happiness from the other man apparently infectious. 

 

Ieyasu sighed as he waited impatiently for the batch of cakes he was working on for Shingen. He was usually very patient with his summer job, but the night before had set a strain of upset in his routine. Still, he could not stop thinking about Mitsunari, or wondering about what had gone wrong. 

"One moment!" He called, hearing the front desk bell go off, indicating a customer. Making sure the cakes would be alright in his absence, Ieyasu came out from the back room, stopping when he saw just who the customer was. He couldn't bring himself to frown, the way Mitsunari was smiling, apology in his features.

"I thought I would bring you lunch," Mitsunari said softly, placing the bento box on the counter, fingers fiddling with the purple cloth that was wrapped around it. "That, and maybe explain some things to you. After work."

"Oh," Ieyasu said, walking up and staring at the obvious shape of the three-tier bento. Mitsunari intended to eat with him. After a moment of silence, he looked up and smirked. "Yeah, I'd really like that."

Mitsunari was starting to wonder if his getting along with humans would be easier than it seemed.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like there to be more of this. Yes. More. Because we all need to know about Shingen's cake shop and rival Uesugi Pasteries.


End file.
